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Whistling Dragons, Sippys & Carseats, Plus a Movie Review

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

We're in that in-between age where Mari is starting to express herself and understands that she's her own person. She is really frustrated because she can't always communicate to us what is going on or what she's thinking. She's pretty effective at pointing, doing some signing, and can say some words, but when she wants to convey more complex feelings or thoughts, that's when we get the tantrums. They've started and sometimes are quite funny. We try not to laugh and when they get especially bad, we try not to let it overwhelm us. Sometimes she lashes out and we have to put her in a time out chair. She understands the concept of time out, that it is a form of punishment, but also, it gives her time to let out her frustration and calm down. It is sooooo hard to just let her sit there and cry, though; especially when the tears flow it isn't just screaming. Breaks my heart, to the point that I sometimes have to leave the room and cry myself, but I'm getting better. We're all getting better.

Yesterday, when Don got home, he and Mari will hang out in the office. She has her toys and some books in there. She'll sit and "read" aloud while turning pages or will freely explore the corners of the room. But she keeps her favorite book in the office. It is called If I Had a Dragon/Si Yo Tuviera Un Dragon. She absolutely LOVES when we read her this book. So much so that she will sign more or make a mamama (mas=more in spanish) sound while thrusting the book in our lap or face. Don swears that not only did she beg to have the book read to her, but she also said "dah-go." It was so sweet. There's also a part in the book where they talk about whistling or silbar. During that part of the book, Don and I will pause and whistle out a melody. Him, a fun and whimsical tune. Me, a sassy cat call, ha ha...I think I should get more creative! Well, when we got to that page, wouldn't you know that she was blowing her little cheeks out trying her darndest to whistle. So, so, so precious!! [thank you Carol for the book! I think we may need to get another!]Avent Magic CupNext up, we decided that it was time to put away the bottles and transition on over to sippy cups. We had three different kinds to begin with and the one she really seemed to like the most were the Avent cups. She refuses any cup that has the handles on it! Well, yesterday, we attempted a full day without a bottle. We weren't very successful. She hardly drank any milk, but she did have more water. We're going to keep trying for the next couple of days. This morning, she did have her milk in her cup, but didn't drink all of it and it was a slow go getting her to start. She did, however, refuse to let me hold the cup or put it away. Instead, she insisted on cradling it in her tiny arms like she does her two dolls (one is a plush Lilo from Lilo and Stitch and the other is a little babydoll that we've yet to know the name because Mari hasn't given her one yet). I don't know if I'm rushing her to the next stage. While the doctor recommended it about a month ago, I held off hoping to slowly transition into it. We were pretty successful with juice and water, but not the milk. We'll just have to see. The pacifier is the next step...eeek!

BritaxAlso, this past weekend, we broke down and bought Mari a second car seat for the car and decided to put away the carrier and base to be used later. (Sigh! At least we got just over a year's use out of it!) After much research, we finally settled on the Britax Boulevard CS. This was my original choice for a car seat, and when we bought the first one for our Equinox several months ago, we opted for Evenflo Advance primarily because it fit all of our requirements and the price was right. This time, we shelled out the extra dollars and let me tell you, each time we've put her in the seat, it hasn't been one single struggle. She just gets in there and settles in for the ride. I can't say the same about the Evenflo. Plus, the straps won't turn and get caught up like they do on the other. Not a big deal, right, but when you have to reposition them at least once a week, it is kind of a pain. AND best of all, it is made in the USA!!! High five!

MOVIE REVIEWS

First off, I watched Dan in Real Life online via Netflix. I'd been on the fence to watch this movie because the trailers didn't readily agree with me. From the trailers, I wasn't sure what was actually going on. But wow...what a wonderfully beautiful story filled with awkward moments. Not just those romantic awkward moments, but genuine family awkward moments. You know what I'm talking about. I could probably outline an exact moment in regards to my family, but this is about a movie review, so I'll refrain. Anyway, I really enjoyed it. There were some definite laugh out loud moments, some angry moments, and some incredibly heart wrenching moments where I just sat there and bawled. I made it a point to add this to my list of must owns! Steve Carell is hilarious, yes, but in this role, it showed a vulnerable side that I only caught glimpses of in Get Smart.I also love, love, love Juliette Binoche. She's simply amazing and that smile of hers is incredible! The entire cast, for that matter, is just awesome!Next is Killer of Sheep another movie that has been out for ages and I'm totally and completely ashamed to admit that I didn't know of it already. Don put it in our Netflix queue thinking I would enjoy it and boy did I. I watched it twice and I still haven't sent it back! I need to find this movie and buy it. It was so real. It truly took you back to that time and era. There are several scenes of the children playing and it reminded me of my childhood. From age 2 to age 10, I spent in a predominantly black neighborhood. It was a very friendly neighborhood with neighbors that actually talked to one another. However, when it came to the schoolyard, there were times when kids would be kids and they were rough, both verbally and physically. Lucky for me, I was best friends with a gal who had many brothers and cousins, so I was "protected" from any harm. I guess for this reason, the movie really reached out to me. There I go again with personal anecdotes. Anyway, this is the best quote about the movie:

"If Killer of Sheep were an Italian film from 1953, we would have every scene memorized."— MICHAEL TOLKIN, SCREENWRITER

Powerful words, right there. But seriously, it was so very honest. Despite the low budget, the filming was spot on. If you aren't a fan of theater, with live acting, then you probably aren't going to like this movie. I would consider myself a fan of all types of film. So much so that I took a Film Appreciation: History of Movies class my last semester in college. I don't recall this film being on the list of required materials, let alone one that was screened in class. Then again, it was just recently restored and last year it was screened, unfortunately, it didn't make it over to Texas. In any event, it was a great film.Happy Earth Day!

2 comments:

Good luck on the sippy cups. She'll get it and will be done with bottles. We used the Nuby brand of sippies with our girls and they both took to them immediately. Never looked back at a bottle (and thanks to preschool, we've been sippy cup free in our house since Briana was around 20 months old). Lots of luck on the pacifier - I stunk royally at that one.

We got "lucky" with Briana because she developed a very bad case of thrush when she was right at 1 year old. She wanted nothing to do with the paci, so we made a clean break. Now, Brooke - she didn't give that dang thing up until she was 4 (we mailed it to her Aunt Jenny in exchange for a new scooter).